The action to be taken involves the acquisition of 25 pieces of equipment for the return of PET, metal and glass beverage packages, to be installed on the nine islands of the Azores archipelago, in the 19 municipalities, due to the territorial dispersion and guaranteeing at least one equipment by county.
The objective is to increase the amount of waste sent for recycling and raise the awareness of the entire resident population in the Azores to the need to reduce packaging production.
In order to motivate and reward citizens who deposit the packaging in the deposit machines, there will be a financial return of at least € 0.05.
The project, coordinated by the Government of the Azores, involves the management entities of Urban Waste, namely the 19 municipalities of the Region, through the respective association, and all the companies responsible for the sorting centers. Three beverage industry companies based in the Azores also joined this project, which also has the participation of the Integrated Citizen Support Network (RIAC).
The Environmental Authority of the Autonomous Region of the Azores expects a high population adherence to the system, since there will be greater awareness of the need for separation of waste and proper routing, so that the quantity and quality of packaging collected and sent for recovery will increase, meeting recycling targets. Packaging should not be waste, but as resources with environmental and economic value in terms of a strategy for the circular economy.
More details about the project can be found here.
The Environment Programme supports this project within the scope of the Call#1, which aims to finance projects that focus on priority areas for reducing plastics in the oceans and promoting awareness of the challenges related to plastics in the oceans and proposing solutions.
Under the EEA Grants 2014-2021, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, as donor Countries, finance, in 15 Member States of the European Union, initiatives and projects with the objective of reducing social and economic disparities by strengthening bilateral relations with beneficiary Countries.
Know more about EEA Grants.